Kevin Corcoran knew college baseball was going to be different.
But there were still a few surprises for the 2023 Illiana Christian graduate, who just finished his freshman season as a pitcher at Webster in St. Louis.
“I felt like I always competed, but I couldn’t throw complete games every single time,” Corcoran said. “That was more of a shock to me than anything else — how long a nine-inning game is when you’re playing three or four a week.”
Corcoran, who expects to see a lot more innings this summer as a pitcher/outfielder for the Lake County Corn Dogs, has decided he won’t return to Webster. He was a pitcher only for the Gorloks, going 5-4 with a 7.01 ERA in 51 1/3 innings over 12 starts. He recorded 48 strikeouts, which ranked second on the team.
“The level of competition is definitely a lot higher,” he said. “They didn’t miss pitches, compared to what they miss in high school, so that was an adjustment. But I got to be a weekend starter as a freshman, so it was an awesome first-year experience for sure.”
Another adjustment for Corcoran, the Post-Tribune player of the year in 2023, were the deeper scouting reports.
“When I’m pitching, I have scouting reports on the hitters, so I’m attacking them differently,” he said. “But at the same time, they’re sitting on different pitches from me, and when they get the pitch they want, it’s not just a hard hit. It’s a double or a home run, especially when it’s a 21-year-old instead of an 18-year-old.”
Corn Dogs teammate Adam Walters, who played with Corcoran on the first of Illiana Christian’s back-to-back Class 2A state titles in 2022 and has continued his career at South Suburban, said he has noticed Corcoran has a different demeanor.
“He’s always been confident in everything he does, whether it’s pitching or hitting,” Walters said. “But after a year of college, he’s even more fine-tuned, and it seems like he has some extra confidence too.”
Lake County Corn Dogs outfielder Kevin Corcoran sits in the dugout during a game against the New Lenox Pumas in Crown Point on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
College baseball always seemed to be the destination for Corcoran, according to Illiana Christian coach Jeff VanderWoude, who knew him well before they were part of the same program.
“He’s always had a high baseball IQ,” VanderWoude said. “He’s always been a smart baseball kid who understands the game really well.”
VanderWoude pointed out he has long thought Corcoran would be a coach in the future, and Corcoran is trying that out in addition to playing for the Corn Dogs. He has been an assistant for Illiana Christian since returning from Webster. The Vikings will play Madison-Grant in the semifinals of the Class 2A Oak Hill Semistate at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“They’ve had a lot of new players stepping into uncommon ground,” Corcoran said, “and I’m excited to see these guys take that next step, to see what it takes to get back to Victory Field.”
Corcoran intends to get back to college baseball after playing for the Corn Dogs. He said his decision to leave Webster was not baseball-related and was more about not being able to find what he described as “a community” at the university. He mentioned Hope, Indiana Wesleyan and Grand Valley State as possible destinations.
Illiana Christian’s Kevin Corcoran pitches against Griffith during a game in Dyer on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune)
While he weighs his choices, Corcoran has other items on his summer agenda.
“Being sharp with my fastball, being able to throw off-speed pitches for strikes — I’m hoping to get a lot more work with my change-up,” he said. “I just want to hone my craft.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
